


Over and Over Again

by Musical_Fandom



Series: Bad End Oneshots [17]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bad Ending, Blood, Body Horror, Brainwashing, Gen, Memory Alteration, One Shot, Psychological Horror, Royal's Bad End, Self-Mutilation, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-21 19:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30026760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musical_Fandom/pseuds/Musical_Fandom
Summary: Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro & Persona 5 Protagonist, Akechi Goro & Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Series: Bad End Oneshots [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168133
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Over and Over Again

Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.

"Good to see you man!" Ryuji called as Goro took his place with the group. The wide smile never left his face.

"Sorry I was late, I-"

"It's fine Goro-chan!" Haru giggled. He nodded. Of course it was fine. Everything was fine. He was here with his friends. Nothing bad could reach him when he was with his friends.

"Where's Akira?" Goro looked around the cafe. Panic rose in his chest. "Is he not coming?"

"He went out to buy snacks." Futaba explained. He nodded as the ugly feeling receded. He had no use for panic. Not when everything was so wonderful.

After nearly an hour of pleasant conversation, Akira finally showed himself. He smiled at Goro then turned his attention to the others. A painful feeling clawed at his chest, but that couldn't be right. His friends were with him, he couldn't be feeling pain. Goro looked down at the table in front of him, feeling confused. He must have been wrong. What he felt couldn't be pain, not when he was surrounded by the people who cared for him.

Akira seemed to notice Goro's sudden distress. When Goro looked up, he was staring at him. The second they locked eyes, the dam broke. Akechi jumped up from his seat and charged at Akira, ready to strangle the life out of him. 

A spindly hand rose from the floor and wrapped itself around Akechi's ankle. Another rose up and grabbed his wrist. Then, another rose up. And another. And another. They continued to rise until he couldn't move. None of his _friends_ paid him any mind. They just continued their happy conversations. Soon, Akira turned away too to go back to the pleasant conversation he'd been having with Makoto.

Dark spots danced at the edge of Akechi's vision as the hands continued to hold him. As their grip grew steadily tighter, he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He fought uselessly against it as his eyes became too heavy to keep open. The voices of his friends became muffled and distant.

**_Just relax._ **

"Akira!" Akechi used the last of his strength to desperately call out his name. The name of the traitor who had doomed him to this life.

**_Relax._ **

The word burned itself in Akechi's mind. He felt his limbs grow limp as his eyes closed. **Relax.** His consciousness faded out as he fell further into Azathoth's hold.

* * *

Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.

"Goro!" Ann called with a smile. Goro took his place with his friends. 

"Sorry I was late I-"

"Are you okay Goro?" Morgana asked. "You have a bruise on your neck."

Goro lifted his hand to his neck and winced in pain. That was odd. He didn't remember doing anything that could have left a bruise. Makoto leaned in to inspect the dark splotches that littered the area.

"It looks like someone was grabbing you," She looked up at Goro, eyes full of worry. "Did something happen on the way here?"

Did something- Goro frowned. That wasn't right. None of this was right. His friends shouldn't have been worrying about him. He shouldn't be feeling bad when he was with them. He flashed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

The barest of reassurances allowed them to relax. Soon, the injuries on his neck were forgotten. Goro looked around the cafe and frowned before he remembered he was supposed to be happy. "Where's Akira?" He asked with a smile so wide it hurt. "Is he not coming?" Panic rose in his chest at the thought before he remembered he was supposed to be relaxing with his friends. 

"He went out for drinks." Kasumi explained. Wait, Kasumi? Goro looked at the brown haired girl and shook his head. Of course. Kasumi.

After about fifteen minutes of pleasant conversation, Akira walked through the door. He smiled at Goro before attending to the rest of his friends. An ugly feeling clawed at Goro's chest but he ignored it. He was happy around his friends which left no room for silly things like rage.

Goro watched Akira float around the room in an attempt to give his friends each equal attention. When he got to Goro though, he froze. "Is something wrong Akira?" Goro asked pleasantly, ignoring the ugly feeling that threatened to burst from his chest. "You look nervous."

Akira looked down at him. They made eye contact for a split second before Akira looked away. "It's nothing."

Goro reached out and grabbed Akira by the wrist. He froze for a second before his smile morphed into a frown. Akira was one of his friends and his friends made him happy so why did he feel angry? Goro realized he must have been confused. It wasn't anger he felt, (how could it be?) it was pure joy. A joy so intense it clawed away at the inside of his chest and threatened to eviscerate his heart.

"Goro, you're hurting me." Goro realized he was digging his nails into Akira's wrist. Some part of him enoyed the pain he was inflicting.

"So I am." He looked at Akira for a moment before something broke. He glared at the boy and stood, never once loosening his grip on his wrist.

"Goro-"

"Don't." He snapped. He squeezed harder until he broke the surface of his skin.

"Goro!" Akira tried to pry Akechi's hand away but that only made it worse. Akechi felt blood trickle onto his hand. He refused to break eye contact as it happened.

Suddenly, a hand rose from the ground. Akechi pushed Akira towards it and attempted to evade it but it didn't help. Akira simply fell to the ground as a new hand rose behind Akechi, catching him where the other couldn't. He flailed and kicked but its grip didn't loosen. Akira stared up at him in horror as hand after hand rose up to constrict him.

Akira shot up and reached out an arm. "Akechi!" He tried to get up but was pushed back down by a hand. Two more rose and held his arms in place. His struggles proved to be just as useless as Akechi's.

**_Please, stop fighting._ **

Akechi heard the voice but the words weren't directed at him. He saw Akira go limp as the arms held him. His eyes became glassy and unfocused as the hands gently laid him down.

**_Akechi-kun._ **

"Fuck off!" He yelled at the disembodied voice. Fear seized in his chest as the hands gripped him tighter. They pressed painfully against the bruises they had created before. 

**_Please just relax. You don't have to keep fighting._ **

Akechi could feel his body grow heavier as his struggles became weaker. His vision blurred as the voices of his friends grew distant and muffled. He looked at Akira's sleeping form on the ground. A new wave of fear swept through him.

**_Relax._ **

His eyes instantly slipped closed. The world around faded out, leaving Akechi in total darkness.

* * *

Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.

"Nice of you to show up." Akira teased as Goro took his place with his friends.

"Sorry I'm late I-" He suddenly noticed Akira's wrist. "Did something happen?"

Akira pulled his sleeve down to hide the angry red skin. "Yeah, it's fine."

Goro smiled at his friend, fully believing him. Why would he ever lie?

As Goro enjoyed the afternoon with his friends, his eyes kept flicking to Akira every so often. There was something weird about him today. He kept frowning while nervously looking around. After finishing his conversation with Yusuke, he decided to move from his booth to the counter next to Akira.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, his wide smile hopefully helping to ease Akira's nerves.

"Yeah, I'm-" He suddenly stopped, his eyes darting to something in the corner of the room. Goro followed his gaze only to find nothing there. "Akechi." He said in a hushed tone. When he turned back, he looked desperate. "Do you see it too?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Goro gave an apologetic smile. A strange but powerful feeling clawed in his chest. He idly wondered why he was getting scared. Nothing could touch him with his friends around, so there was nothing to worry about.

A hand grabbed Goro's wrist. His first instinct was to wrench his arm away violently. He turned and saw Akira who looked terrified. "Akechi, please."

**_Do-...-ine-...-su-kun._ **

Goro looked around for the source of the choppy voice he heard. He felt Akira lean against his shoulder. Goro looked down at him and smiled. He looked up at Akechi with tired eyes. "Hey," He gently nudged Akira. "Want me to walk you upstairs?"

Akira slowly nodded, closing his eyes. Goro chuckled. He hadn't even gotten the chance to stand before he was fast asleep. He looked down fondly at his friend ignoring the fear he felt. He couldn't be scared, there was nothing to be scared of.

"Is Akira okay?" Ann asked. She looked more curious than concerned. Of course she did, there was nothing to worry about.

"He's just tired." Goro explained.

The explanation was accepted without any further questions. Everyone went back to their pleasant conversations leaving Goro alone with a sleeping Akira. He couldn't exactly get up, not without waking him, so he sat there, content to be used as a pillow.

With nothing else to do, Goro looked at Akira's wrist once again. His sleeve was slightly pulled up, allowing a clear view of it. There were a few small areas where the red radiated out from. He wondered what had caused- Wait. Akechi blinked. He looked at the hands that lingered at Akira's feet, ready to grab him if something went wrong. He noticed how one was holding Akira's injured wrist. Suddenly, he felt sick.

Akechi slowly looked behind him, hoping not to draw attention to himself. He looked for anything that could be used to defend himself. Unfortunately for him, the counter was empty. There was nothing he could grab without drawing attention to himself. He looked at Phantom Thieves who were blissfully ignorant of what was going on. They hadn't even turned in his direction since Ann asked about Akira.

"Wake up." Akechi gently shook Akira but it didn't do anything. He didn't even stir from his peaceful sleep. Akechi looked down at the hands that sat waiting and noticed a few more rising from the ground. He stopped breathing for a moment and watched them. He cursed himself for being unable to quell the fear that rose in his chest at the sight.

The hands slowly began to creep up. Akechi sat there, unable to move. They moved up until one of them grabbed onto his leg. Their touch was much more gentle than the days before, it made his skin crawl.

"Akira!" He said in a much more panicked tone than before. The hands picked up the pace. A few grabbed at his arms. One held his throat, making it difficult to breathe. He opened his mouth to scream but a hand covered it. The sound died in his throat as hands grabbed him all over.

**_Just relax Akechi-kun._ **

Akechi felt his breathing even out. His eyes slowly closed despite how hard he fought to keep them open. He rested his head on Akira's as his body relaxed against his will.

**_Relax-_ **

Akechi passed out, as Maruki's words ran through his mind. They imprinted themselves into his brain during his peaceful rest.

* * *

Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.

"Ah, you've arrived!" Yusuke called as Goro took his place with his friends.

"Sorry I'm late I-"

"Don't worry about it, we're just happy you could make it." Makoto assured with a smile. There was nothing to worry about, Goro smiled at the thought.

"Where's Akira?" He asked. He looked around the cafe but spotted him in the kitchen area. "Oh, nevermind. Hello Akira!"

Akira turned to him and smiled. He gave a small wave, Goro noticed he was holding a knife in his other hand. He went behind the counter to get to the group until he realized he was still holding the knife. Carefully, he put it down on the counter before he fully crossed. "Sorry for falling asleep on you yesterday." He gave a sheepish smile. It took a second for Goro to realize that Akira was addressing _him_.

"You did?" He asked. Goro didn't remember anything like that happening but if Akira said it-

"You guys fell asleep on each other." Futaba's explaination was accompanied by mild laughter scattered around the room.

"You looked super cute." Ann added.

Goro looked away, feeling his face heat up. Was that what had happened yesterday? He shook his head. He shouldn't be doubting his friends. They didn't have a reason to lie to him. He turned back to everyone with a smile. "We must have both been very tired." He looked at Akira who just stared forward with wide eyes. "Akira?"

"Wha- Oh, yeah!" He smiled nervously. "Tired..."

"Akira are you-" Goro was cut off by Akira pulling him up by the wrist. Either no one else noticed or no one else cared because they just let it happen despite Goro's protests. "What are you doing?!"

Akira dragged Goro behind the counter and gave him a deadly serious look. "Akechi, you have to wake up."

"What are you talking about?" Goro tried to slip out of Akira's grip but it was too tight. "You're cutting off my circulation."

"Akechi, please." He sounded desperate. Goro just looked at him for a second, taking in the wrongness of the situation. Akira shouldn't be upset. He was with friends. Nothing bad happened when they were with their friends so why would he be upset.

"Akira are you okay?" Goro asked as he placed a hand to his forehead. He didn't seem to have a fever.

Akira smacked Goro's hand away before he placed both hands on Goro's shoulders. He hung his head low. "Please! Come on..." He begged. Suddenly he gasped. Goro watched as he suddenly removed on of his hands from his shoulder as if something were-

Akechi yanked Akira back in an attempt to get him out of Azathoth's hold. He quickly grabbed the knife on the counter and plunged it into the creature when it didn't let go. The arm instantly released him and sunk back into the floor.

As soon as the first arm fully disappeared, more burst out in its place. Akechi tried to run for the door but Azathoth blocked his way. He tried to slash at them with the knife but it did little to deter the hands. Akechi looked back at Akira who was in a similar predicament. Hands grabbed at him, restricting his movement while the same happened to Akechi.

Right before a hand could grab his right arm, Akechi switched the knife to that hand. Instead of attacking Azathoth, he attempted to turn the weapon on himself. He closed his eyes and stabbed at his stomach but felt no pain. He struggled against the hand that caught his wrist at the last second. He continued to struggle until he felt his entire right arm go limp. The knife fell to the ground, clattering uselessly.

**_Kurusu-kun, why are you fighting so hard?_ **

Akechi turned back to Akira who was struggling violently against Azathoth's hold. He thrashed around and kicked but that did little to loosen the ironclad grip the monsterous persona had on him.

**_You're the one who wanted this world. Can't you see how happy everyone is? Why do you want to ruin that?_ **

"Let go of me!" He yelled. His aggression was ignored.

**_And Akechi-kun,_ **

Akechi could feel fear painfully rising through his chest.

_**You could be happy too if you just stopped fighting.** _

The words echoed through Akechi's mind. If he just **stopped fighting**...

_**Wouldn't you like that?** _

Goro slowly nodded, his limbs feeling heavy. A small smile spread across his face. Just **stop fighting.** It was so easy, **stop fighting.** The words wouldn't leave his head.

"Akechi!" Akechi suddenly looked up at Akira. **Stop fighting.** The words contined to echo. They only got stronger as Goro's eyes slipped closed.

_**Kurusu-kun, please just make this easier for youself and relax.** _

The words weren't directed towards Goro but he felt himself complying anyways. A warm feeling spread through him as more hands began to swarm him. He tried his best to block out the horrible sensation as fell asleep in their hold.

* * *

Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.

"You made it!" Kasumi cheered as Goro took his spot with his friends. For some reason his skin was crawling but it was fine. As long as he was with his friends, nothing bad would happen.

"Sorry I was late I-"

"No worries man!" Ryuji clapped a hand on his shoulder, sending a chill down Goro's spine. Even after the brief contact ended, the sensation remained. Goro curled in on himself as the sensation of hands grabbing him spread all over his body.

"Is everything okay?" Morgana asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Where's Akira?" Goro asked as the sensation changed from grabbing to brief bits of contact. The sensations rapidly went away only to pop up in new spots all over his body.

"He went out to get snacks, why?"

Goro shook his head and began idly scratching his arms to get rid of the feeling. "I was just wondering."

Everyone ignored him after that. They went on with their pleasant conversations while Goro began to furiously scratched at his arms in an attempt to rid himself of the uncomfortable sensation. No matter how hard he did it, the touches refused to go away. He continued until the action was less scratching and more tearing. He tore away at the skin on his arms hoping desperately to remove the feeling, yet it refused to leave him. His motions became more violent and frantic until his arms and hands were painted red. He furiously tore away at any remaining skin wishing for relief that never came.

When he looked down at himself, he was covered in blood. He looked at his frineds but no one even looked in his direction, no one cared. His breathing began to speed up. No one cared. No one-

Akira walked through the door, announced by the bell. His smile immediately fell when he saw the state of Goro. He rushed over to him in a panic. "Goro!" All eyes were on Akira, then Goro but only for a moment. "What-"

"It won't stop!" He tried to continue tearing away at the flesh on his arms but Akira grabbed his hands. He held them tight despite Goro's struggles.

"Go-" He shook his head. "Akechi."

The featherlight touches continued. As the seconds passed they only grew worse. More and more of them added onto the already existing feelings until Goro felt like his body was being consumed. He closed his eyes tight and tried to will the sensations away but it didn't work. Phantom hands continued to grab and prod at him all over.

"Make it stop." He whispered, his voice pitifully shaking. Akechi cursed himself for showing such weakness, especially in front of Akira. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that nothing was touching him. The hands weren't even fucking out yet.

Akechi looked at Akira for a second before he wrenched his hands away. They flew to his neck. He raked his nails across the area in an attempt to tear away the offending skin. He couldn't take it. He felt like he was being eaten alive.

Akira managed to grab his hands back before he could do any real harm. The only marks on his neck were the numerous white streaks from attempts to rip the flesh away. Warm blood covered both of their hands but Akira ignored it as he gently pulled Akechi to his feet. Akechi didn't fight the motion, letting himself be pulled out of the booth. He allowed himself to be pulled away from his _friends_ , the puppets that couldn't even see what was in front of them.

"Akechi," Akira continued to hold Akechi's hands so that he wouldn't hurt himself anymore. Funny enough, Akechi couldn't even feel the pain. All other sensations were drowned out by the phantom hands. The only real thing he could feel were Akira's hands which overlapped with the touches.

_**Akechi-kun.** _

Akechi fell to his knees, bringing Akira with him. He closed his eyes. He tried to cover his ears but Akira still held his hands tight.

"You're hurting him!" Akira yelled. He tightened his grip on Akechi's hands further.

**_I'm sorry Akechi-kun, it seems like something went wrong. I didn't mean for you to suffer like this._ **

Akechi felt a hand grab his wrist. It stung the ruined skin. He abruptly realized that the other touches had stopped. He opened his eyes just in time to see Akira get dragged away by a set of hands. Slowly, Akechi gazed down at his wrist. He watched as Azathoth's grasp tightened, only making things worse. His hand smeared the blood further on Akechi's arm. He felt nauseous as more hands rushed to restrain him.

Akechi struggled despite the pain. He tried to wrench his arms out of Azathoth's grip on the fail miserably. All he got out of it was pain.

**_Akechi-kun,_ **

**Stop fighting.** The words went unsaid but he remembered them. Akechi found his struggles weakening as it echoed through his mind. **Stop fighting.** His eyelids drooped, becoming heavier with each passing second. He looked up at Akira who continued to struggle.

_**There's no point in fighting.** _

**No point.** Goro tilted his head slightly. He was curious why Akira hadn't given up yet.

Distantly, Goro could feel fear but it confused him. What was there to be scared of? He was surrounded but friends so there was nothing to worry about. He was sure him and Akira had just been overacting.

**_I'm only trying to help you both._ **

Goro looked for the source of the kind voice. He looked around but felt more and more tired as he did.

**_Akechi-kun, I promise, you can just relax now._ **

Goro smiled as his eyes instantly slipped shut. His body went limp as he succumbed to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.

Before anyone could greet him, Akira ran up to Goro. He grabbed his left hand and pulled up his sleeve. Goro looked down at the bandages that covered his arms.

"Akechi-" Goro smiled and he stopped dead in his tracks. He waved off Akira's very much unneeded concern.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

"You're not fine!" Goro flinched at the sudden aggression. Akira dropped his hand and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry Akechi."

"For what?" Goro nervously laughed. He slowly hugged Akira back and felt him tense up. "Akira, are you feeling okay?"

"Wake up Akechi." Akira mumbled the words so quietly that he almost didn't hear them. "Please, don't go." He held Goro tighter. "I made a mistake, please."

"Akira I don't-"

"Stop it Akechi!" Akira pulled back looking ready to break down. Goro felt an ugly feeling in his chest at the sight, but that couldn't be right. He smiled, he was mistaken, it had to be joy. Joy at Akira's state but that didn't feel right either. He suddenly felt dizzy from the strange contradiction.

"Akira?" Akechi felt dazed. He stumbled before falling into Akira's arms. "What's-"

**_Why are you continuing to fight what you chose?_ **

"I-I chose wrong!" Akira screamed to no one in particular. Akechi shot him a confused look before he searched for the source of the voice.

**_You're only hurting Akechi-kun._ **

A sudden fear seized in Akechi's chest before Maruki's words ran through his mind. **Stop fighting.** His body relaxed against Akira only for him to be dragged back by Azathoth. He allowed himself to be moved, feeling more like a ragdoll than an actual person.

" _You're_ hurting him! I-I should have listened to him..." Akira lowered his eyes to the ground for a moment. He looked up the ceiling, presumably in an attempt to adress Maruki although the voice echoed from all around. "You're killing him!"

**_I'm simply doing what must be done to make him happy._ **

Hands pulled at Akechi. He could feel what little will to fight he had left be drained away. **Stop fighting. No point. Relax. Happy.** Akechi could be **happy** if Akira just **stopped fighting.** He just needed to give in and they could _both_ be **happy.**

"Akira." Goro mumbled. His vision swam as the arms held him in place. He smiled, feeling relaxed. "You don't need to fight." The horror on Akira's face hardly registered. "Please, you don't-"

"Stop it!"

**_See? Akechi-kun just wants you to be happy._ **

Goro nodded, or maybe, Azathoth made him nod. He wasn't sure if he had control of his body anymore but he didn't care. He felt like a toy ~~a puppet~~ but it was so _nice_. He didn't have to _think_ or _fight,_ he could just **relax** and be **happy.**

"Akechi don't-" Goro watched as a hand covered Akira's mouth. His muffled voice hardly reached Goro's ears. He suddenly felt a wave of relaxation wash over him. All the sounds around him faded out as he drifted off into pleasant dreams.

* * *

Goro Akechi walked into LeBlanc with a bright smile. Not a single worry clouded his mind. Nothing bad could touch him here, not when he was with his friends.

He smiled at Akira who seemed ~~miserable~~ happy to see him. "Akechi..." He looked at him with an odd expression of a moment before it was gone. His ~~distraught~~ unreadable expression was replaced with a wide smile. "Happy to see you."

"Sorry I'm late, I-"

~~"I wish you didn't have to come."~~

Goro blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say something Akira?" He smiled politely feeling... odd. He knew he heard _something_ but...

"Huh?" Akira looked genuinely ~~hopeful~~ surprised. ~~"Akechi-"~~ "Oh, no."

"Sorry, my mistake." Goro watched Akira ~~deflate~~ wave him off before he took his place with his friends.

The world around him seemed to fade away as he enjoyed the company of his friends. ~~Meaningless~~ Pleasant conversations ate his time as the natural light in cafe steadily dimmed only to be swiftly replaced by the artifical bulbs. He preferred the soft yellow glow to the harsh sunlight, something which was probably a bit odd. He couldn't quite explain why but something almost seemed _off_ about the light that filtered through the window.

Goro had completely forgotten about Akira until a hand wrapped around his wrist. His heart sped up as he met Akira face to face. A ~~blank~~ happy look rested on his face. Goro wordlessly shifted closer to the wall to allow space for Akira to sit next to him. He smiled at his friend as he let of his wrist and rested his head on Goro's shoulder.

" ~~Akechi,~~ Goro, ~~I'm so sorry.~~ I'm glad you could make it."

His smile grew wider. "Of course." Something painfull clawed its way into Goro's heart. No, it couldn't have been painful, not with his friends. It couldn't have been real so he brushed it aside as he sat with Akira. They sat there, surrounded by their friends until Goro's perfect day came to a close.


End file.
